An editorial in the ToI today talks about "Beijing's latest initiative to establish a direct rail link to Bangladesh's port city of Chittagong and help construct Sonadip deep-sea port at Cox's Bazaar... "
If we truly want North-East India to "develop" we must realize that the best way forward is to give the region access to the sea - via Bangladesh. This means unilateral free trade as well as unilateral free immigration with that country. Access to the sea is vital for the region's prosperity - and this means India must invest in highways and railways linking the cities of the North-East with the ports of Bangladesh. Mizoram and Meghalaya will be the first to benefit - being closest - but gains will fitler also to Arunachal, which is opening up its road links with China. If Arunachal is seeing its future in overland trade links with China, I am sure the rest of the region will see even greater benefits in trade by sea, through links with Bangladesh.
India today presents a strange picture of an "artificial order" because of trade restrictions. Our biggest cities are land-locked Nude Elly and Bangalore. Things were different 200 years ago - when Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Goa, Surat, Cochin and other coastal cities led the way. That is the age to which we must revert - to the "natural order" of Liberty, whereby all "natural advantages" are allowed free rein, and a deep-water port is definitely one such advantage: look at Hong Kong, Singapore, Hamburg...
I suggest a "big bang": Abolish the Customs Department.
Make the entire sub-continent the world's largest duty-free trading area.
Declare India a "catallaxy."
The economy will grow so fast that no statistician will be able to measure the growth rate.
So, shall we all hit the coast, Jack?
hi sauvik,
ReplyDeletenot directly related to your post.but could you provide your comments on this free market bashing by a columnist on yahoo.in
http://in.news.yahoo.com/columnist/girish_shahane/12/a-recipe-for-famine
he quotes amartya sen and jayati ghosh,so it doesnt make me feel very comfortable. but since you are well versed with british indian history could you comment about why the british era famines occured.the columnist implies that it was a free market disaster.i feel it was a monetary disaster (atleast in 1944 with rupee devaluation).
i cant understand why intelligent people want the govt to centrally plan food supplies just because india is a poor country.appreciate your thoughts.